Stonewall
by raezura
Summary: AU In the year 1969 a simple visit to the bar puts Soi Fon and Yoruichi into a situation that will change history. YoruSoi
1. Chapter 1

This story is my first attempt at an AU fic. I chose to do it now because I felt that I have improved enough as a writer to pull it off. Thanks to SoldierG6543-2 for beta-reading.

**Chapter 1**

The silence in the small New York City apartment was broken by one sentence. "They're going to find out eventually." Those words were spoken by Yoruichi Shihonin, a twenty three year old half-Nigerian half-Japanese woman. She said them to another woman who was currently over by the window, observing the brick wall that the only view in the apartment gave way to."Soi Fon," Yoruichi called again.

The other woman whipped her head around, her long braids hitting the sides of her face. Her delicate Chinese features wrinkled. "What Yoruichi?" she asked.

"Weren't you listening?" the caramel-skinned woman questioned. Soi Fon shook her head. Yoruichi sighed. "I was asking you a question. What are we going to do when people find out that we're not just roommates?"

"I-"Soi Fon was interrupted by the ringing of the wall telephone. She walked over, not a long distance due to the size of their living space, and grabbed the ringing phone off the hook. "Hello," she said monotonically. She quickly switched to fast-paced Chinese. That meant that her mother was calling.

Yoruichi sighed. She didn't have to understand the language to understand what this conversation would be about. Soi Fon was a first generation American, meaning that her parents had emigrated from China and had a child in the United States. And this meant that they still kept their traditional Chinese values. The birth of their daughter was a disappointment; like all old-fashioned Chinese families they wanted a son to carry on the family name. This carried on today. Now her parents wanted her to marry a nice Chinese boy, settle down, and have kids.

As Soi Fon put it, 'like that was ever going to happen'.

Yoruichi's thoughts were interrupted by an increase in volume from the telephone conversation. As she turned her head to observe, Soi Fon said a few curt words of goodbye to her mother then slammed the phone down. "I am so sick of her," the Chinese woman complained with her teeth gritted. "When are you going to get married? Have you met anyone yet? " she said, mocking the words of her mother.

"Well," Yoruichi said, a grin spreading across her face. "You have met somebody."

Soi Fon scoffed. "That would go over well. 'Hey mother, guess what? I've met someone. But here's the kicker; it's a woman!" The smile on Yoruichi's face disappeared. "What is it?" Soi Fon asked.

"This whole thing reminds me, I went out for dinner with my parents last night." Both faces were grim now. Yoruichi's parents were an odd couple. Though society had frowned on their interracial marriage, there were never any laws passed against in New York. Her father was the descendent of escaped slaves from the south. Her mother was the child of Japanese immigrants. Not only were they racially different but their personalities were vastly unlike. Yoruichi's father was a boisterous man who wasn't afraid to share his opinions with the world while her mother was quiet and quick to obey orders from her husband.

"I expect that the worst happened?" Soi Fon questioned hesitantly. Yoruichi nodded.

"For some reason I thought it was a good idea to bring up the recent increase in gay rights protests. It sent my father into a rage talking about 'how God will vanquish these sinners' and 'how the dirty homosexuals are ruining America'. I had to try really hard not to cry." She put her head in her hands. "What am I going to do Soi?" she moaned. "It's 1969 for godsake. You think opinions would be changing."

"It's okay," Soi Fon said approaching her from the back. She sat down and put her hands on Yoruichi's shoulders. "We don't need to be out." Whatever comforting affect she thought this would have backfired. Yoruichi spun around.

"Maybe I want to be out," she cried. "Did you ever think that maybe I don't like hiding who I am? That I don't like hiding our relationship?"

A sad smile found its way onto Soi Fon's face. "Like you said Yoruichi, it's 1969. The world just isn't ready for us."

"But when will it be Soi?" she asked. "Ten years? Twenty years? What if we reach the new millennium and we still can't be out?"

"Then we'll take it as it comes. But for now," Soi Fon put her arms around Yoruichi and hugged her tight. "We'll have each other."

The phone rang again, interrupting their embrace. "God dammit," the Chinese woman cursed. "I swear if that's my mother again." She lunged for the telephone and grabbed it on its last ring. "Hello?" There was silence for a few moments before she spoke again. "Alright, just a moment." Soi Fon was still speaking in English; that was a good sign.

She handed the phone to Yoruichi, the cord stretched to the limit. "It's for you." She grabbed the phone from her lover's hand and put it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hi Yoruichi. It's Yumichika." She squealed in delight. Yoruichi and Yumichika were co-workers at a local manufacturing office. She was employed as a secretary while he worked as a gopher, getting coffee and delivering papers for the higher ups. They were both harassed at work, her for being a woman of color and Yumichika for being effeminate. One night while they were staying overtime and were alone, he came out to her. And she came out to him. After that they were the best of friends.

"I take it that you're happy to hear my voice?" Yumichika asked.

"Of course," Yoruichi answered. "I hardly see you around at work anymore."

He sighed. "You know they're currently working on a new project. I can hardly stand it. The designs they've drawn up are just so-"

"-unbeautiful" Yoruichi finished for him.

Yumichika laughed. "Exactly. But darling, in the future, please don't steal my word."

"It's not your word," she argued. "It's in the dictionary and everything!"

Again came the light sound of his laughter. "But it's my signature. Everyone loves it."

From the background she heard a gruff voice call out. "I don't. Make him stop saying it," the unknown man called out. "It's annoying the hell out of me."

"Please be quiet, Ikkaku," Yumichika called back. "I'm trying to talk on the phone here. Anyways," he continued, drawing his attention back to his conversation. Or attempting to as any effort to carry on with the conversation were soon thwarted by Yoruichi.

"Who's Ikkaku?" she demanded. Suddenly she gasped. "Are you going out with him?"

A groan escaped from Yumichika's lips. "Yes, I am. I am seeing Ikkaku."

Yoruichi shrieked with glee. "I'm so happy for you! How long have you been going out? Where did you meet?"

She could almost hear his smile across the telephone connection. "We met three weeks ago, at a local gay bar called the Stonewall Inn. That reminds me, we're planning on going there tonight. Would you like to come along?"

"I don't know," Yoruichi said hesitantly. "Isn't it a bar for gay men?"

"In theory yes," he replied. "But a lot of lesbian couples come in. It's a very nice and accepting place. Plus I want you to meet Ikkaku."

Yoruichi smiled. "Alright, we'll meet you there. Where is it at?"

"It's at 53 Christopher Street, between West 4th Street and Waverly Place, in Greenwich Village."

"Got it. I'll see you there. And Yumichika?"

"Yes?"

"I'm so happy for you two," Yoruichi said, fondly remembering his elated nature when she told him that she and Soi Fon were going out.

They said their goodbyes and then hung up. "How's Yumichika?" Soi Fon called from the couch where she was now seated, absentmindedly turning the pages of a novel.

"He's good. He met someone. And he invited us out."

"Hmmph" Soi Fon grunted.

"What was that for?" Yoruichi asked, flopping herself down on the couch cushion next to her girlfriend. Soi Fon set down her book on the seat of the sofa.

"It's just that in the past the bars he's taken us to have been filled with guys that do nothing but hit on us and try to cop a feel."

Yoruichi leaned over and gently kissed Soi Fon on the lips. "But this one is different. It's a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn. It's a place where we can finally be out."


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to SoldierG65432-2 for beta reading and casting.

**Chapter 2**

Yoruichi glanced at Soi Fon, expectantly awaiting her answer. When nothing came she asked the Chinese woman again, "So, do you want to go?"

Soi Fon looked her lover in the eyes. Yoruichi seemed excited at the chance of going to the Stonewall Inn. And Soi Fon certainly wasn't going to let her down. She breathed out and closed her book. "Fine, we'll go. But the second I want to leave-"

"Oh come on," Yoruichi scolded as she pulled Soi Fon to her feet. "It's not like anything bad is going to happen. Now give me a few minutes to get ready and we'll be on our way."

* * *

Half an hour later the couple emerged onto the streets of the East Village outside their apartment. Though called home by an assortment of artists and musicians, it was also the only neighborhood in New York with a substantial Japanese population. But at this time of evening, none of these people could be seen. In fact, no one could be seen.

"Where is everyone?" Soi Fon asked, struggling to keep up with Yoruichi's quick strides.

"It's six o'clock," Yoruichi answered. "Everyone is at dinner. And that means," she said as she scanned the area. "All the cabs are taken." At that moment, as if on cue a taxi cab pulled up beside them. A man leaned out of the driver's seat.

"Need a ride?" he asked. They both quickly nodded and got into the backseat. "So where are you ladies going?" he questioned gruffly.

"502 Christopher Street," Yoruichi answered, making quick note of the man's name on his license in the front window.

As the cab driver began to drive he couldn't help but wonder about the location the women wished to go to. He knew that it was in Greenwich Village, a typical place where people went to enjoy the nightlife. But what was at that specific address?

He looked into the backseat through his rearview mirror. The two had started the journey on opposite sides of the cab but had gradually pushed themselves together. The dark-skinned woman's hand rested on the other's leg. Suddenly it hit him. The two women were going to the Stonewall Inn, a well known gay bar. Which meant that they were…

"Get out," he barked suddenly, stomping on the brakes in the middle of traffic. Behind them came angry shouts and the sound of honking horns.

"Wait what?" Soi Fon asked. They were both confused.

"I said get out," The cab driver growled in a low voice. "I know what the two of you are. I don't want you two sick perverts polluting my cab." He turned at them with rage in his eyes. "So leave my cab now or I'll have you both arrested for public indecency."

Soi Fon couldn't move. She knew there were people in the world like this, but she had never experienced one firsthand. Somehow Yoruichi was able to get over her distaste and pull her lover from the seat while opening the door. But before leaving she looked the cabbie straight in the eyes and glared. "I told you to get out," he said with a dark tone to his voice. Yoruichi grinned and made a noise at the back of throat. She pursed her lips and spat a large glob of saliva onto the seat of the cab driver's car.

"Shit!" The cab driver exclaimed. He hurriedly reached back to shut the back door but Yoruichi slammed it before he could grasp the handle. The cab sped away, tires squealing. At once the cars that had been stuck waiting for the ordeal to pass began to lurch forward, continuing to honk their horns. But this time they were aimed at the two women standing in the middle of the street. Soi Fon cursed under her breath and pulled Yoruichi out of the line of traffic. They both stepped up onto the sidewalk and watch as the line of traffic began to flow again.

There was a moment of silence before someone spoke up. "Why did you do that?" Soi Fon asked quietly. "You shouldn't have reacted like that."

"And what was I supposed to do? Just let him treat us like that?" Yoruichi responded bitterly.

"No," the Chinese woman answered, turning to face Yoruichi while crossing her arms. "You were supposed to act like a mature adult."

"Soi," she sighed. "We can't just keep being doormats and let people act this way towards us and people like us. Listen," she gently grabbed Soi Fon's shoulders. "African-Americans are getting their rights now after over two hundred years of waiting. Do we really want to wait that long to be treated like everyone else? If not then we have to start fighting back."

"Alright then," Soi Fon said with a tight grin. She glanced down the street then back up at Yoruichi. "The bar is only a few blocks away from here. We can walk."

* * *

The couple reached the Stonewall Inn in a matter of minutes. Yoruichi glanced up at the building. It was on the smaller side with two stories. The bottom half was brick while the top half was white stucco. There were three rectangular windows with flower boxes beneath on the top story. On the ground floor were the two entrances. Between the two doors was a plate glass window. Inscribed on the window was the name of the bar. The view of the inside of the bar was shielded by the presence of dark red curtains.

"Are you ready to go in?" Yoruichi asked.

Soi Fon sighed. "I guess. But really I just want tonight to be over." At this Yoruichi put her hand on her lover's shoulder to comfort her and began to move her lips toward her cheek. By instinct Soi Fon hurriedly moved her head away from the almost kiss.

Yoruichi looked at her with confusion on her face. "What the hell was that for?" she demanded, a twinge of anger in her voice. The other woman blushed.

"It was a kneejerk reaction. I'm so used to not being able to show affection in public that I just-" She was interrupted by a kiss to her right cheek.

"Remember," Yoruichi said. "This is a safe place. Anything that straight couples can do in public we can do here. Now about not wanting to be here, is that about the cab driver?" Soi Fon nodded. "Don't let it affect you. Come on," she said, pulling the Chinese woman by the hand. "I've kept Yumichika and Ikkaku waiting long enough."

Yoruichi had clearly not estimated how long she had been keeping the new couple waiting. When she and Soi Fon entered there was already many empty drink glasses surrounding the two. At the sound of the door opening both looked up. "Yoruichi," called Yumichika, waving wildly. It was a necessary move due to the fact that the bar was packed wall to wall with men. As far as Yoruichi could see they were the only women in the establishment.

They picked their way through the crowd toward the table where Yumichika and his boyfriend were sitting. Two empty seats were next to them. Ikkaku stood to pull out the chair so that the women could sit down. "You won't believe what trouble we had saving these seats. This place isn't usually so packed." Yoruichi glanced up at the bald man who was returning to his own seat. Yumichika noticed the direction her gaze. "How stupid of me," he exclaimed. "I forgot to introduce you. Yoruichi, Soi Fon, this is Ikkaku, my boyfriend." Yoruichi gave a little wave and Soi Fon gave a small smile. "I'm going to get some drinks," he announced.

Once Yumichika had left an awkward silence descended. Finally it was Ikkaku who uncharacteristically broke the ice. "Have you two been here before?"

"No," Soi Fon said. "In fact I've never even heard of it before."

"That's because you're not a gay man," said a deep voice behind her jovially. Soi Fon jumped. She turned back to glare at the owner of the voice and was greeted by the sight of a tall man with long curly hair tied back in a low ponytail. He wore a pink shirt with flowers printed on it paired with a pair of black trousers.

"Like you would know what that's like, Kyouraku. How's the wife?" Ikkaku said grabbing a new drink from the arms of Yumichika who had just come back from the bar.

"Very funny Ikkaku," Kyouraku said with a grin. "And Nanao is fine, thank you very much."

"Wait," Yoruichi started. "You're married? And at a gay bar?" Soi Fon nodded in equal confusion.

"The Stonewall Inn is my business. I have a lot of gay friends and I decided that they need a place to be themselves free from harassment. That's why you ladies are here I assume?"

"You assume correctly," Soi Fon answered.

Kyouraku grinned. "I've been trying to open the bar up to a bigger lesbian clientele for years now. Hopefully you two will tell your friends." The women exchanged glances. "What are those looks for?"

"Well," Yoruichi began. "You're only the third person that knows that we're gay."

"The third person? Well, I can change that," Kyouraku said. "Hey everyone," he called. "May I have your attention?" The roar of the crowd instantly died down. "These two women here," he said while gesturing to Yoruichi and Soi Fon "are gay and are a couple. Alright?" Scatterings of applause and cheering were heard for a few moments before the roar of chatter started again. "Now ladies," he said turning back to the women. "Was that so hard? Now at least 45 people know plus us." Yoruichi laughed at this while Soi Fon blushed a bright red.

"I think we need to celebrate," Ikkaku observed.

"Indeed," Yumichika agreed.

Kyouraku distributed the glasses that Yumichika had placed on the table among them and called out a toast. "To being out," he cried. The others repeated the toast and clinked their glasses before consuming the liquid inside.

"Now you have to kiss," Yumichika demanded. The women obliged. But as their lips touched the sound of glass shattering could be heard. The window had been kicked in.


	3. Chapter 3

I tried to make this chapter as historically accurate as possible though I did take a couple of creative liberties. Thanks to SoldierG65434-2 for casting and beta-reading.

**Chapter 3**

All heads turned quickly to the large window at the front of the bar. Six men stepped through the frame of the former window and into the building. Four of them were out of uniform. They wore dark suits. The other two were dressed in patrol uniform. The uniformed officer on the left was significantly taller than his partner. He had shaggy brown hair and a matching beard that was paired with piercing yellowish eyes and pale skin. The officer on the right reminded Yoruichi of the Yakuza members her grandmother used to talk about in hushed tones. The top of his uniform was open to reveal a hairless but muscular chest. His hair was closely cropped and accompanied by a thin mustache on his upper lip.

The man on the left motioned to one of the officers in suits to shut the music off. Instantly the room became lit and eerily quiet. A wide panic grew in the eyes of some of the newer patrons. They began to run towards the doors in both the front and back. Kyouraku looked on helplessly as he put his hands on the shoulders of Soi Fon and Yoruichi, as if he was trying to keep them from joining the chaos. They didn't need to be told to understand.

"Alright," the shaggy haired uniformed officer said. "My name is Captain Komamura and this is Lieutenant Iba. We're going to follow standard procedure and make this as quick and orderly as possible. I need you all to make two lines. Women, stand over here by me and men over by where the rest of the officers are." He glanced over the crowd quickly and turned to whisper something in Iba's ear. They spoke quietly for a few moments before Komamura spoke again. "And any men dressed as women need to stand in the men's line, understand?"

The sounds of protests began. Komamura gave orders over the developing roar of the crowd to start taking the men dressed as women into the bathrooms. The first person that was grabbed started to struggle. "What are they trying to do?" Yoruichi whispered up to Kyouraku.

"They're checking for the gender they were born with." He shook his head gently. "This isn't fair. These people are transsexual; what they were born as doesn't match what they truly are. And now they're going to get arrested for it." As soon as Kyouraku finished the struggles of the transsexuals became louder. A glance at Komamura showed that he was clearly fed up with the resistance. The captain gave some more orders to his officers. Now the focus of the officers was on the men standing in line. "Identification?" was the request presenting to each of the men. But the men refused. They knew that the second the provided their identification their names would be put on public record.

The cords in Komamura's neck stood out as a shade of inhuman red passed over his face. "Alright," he shouted. "Enough of this shit. We're going to take everyone down to the police station. But while we wait we're going to put all the she males back here, by the bar."

Kyouraku gritted his teeth. "Don't you dare call them that," he muttered. The police officers started to escort people back to the bar. One of their eyes happened to fall on Yoruichi and Soi Fon.

"Hey," he shouted back to Komamura. "We've got a couple of women over here." A disturbing grin spread across the captain's face. He approached the table where the two women were sitting.

"Stand up," he ordered, the smile still pasted on his face. "Didn't you hear my order for the women to stand over there?" Not waiting for an answer, Komamura turned his back to the table and yelled for two officers to come over and help him. After giving the order he looked over his shoulder and Ikkaku and Yumichika. "You two go stand over there," he commanded "I'm sick and tired of repeating myself. " The couple exchanged a wry glance with Kyouraku who nodded. They removed themselves from the table but not before Yumichika placed a comforting hand on Yoruichi's shoulder. It was brief but enough to give her a feeling of security.

By now the police officers Komamura had requested to help him had arrived. The captain turned to them. "I need you to check these two for weapons. Don't skip proper procedure just because of their gender." Before the women could protest he had spun away to observe another part of the bar. The officers turned their attention to Yoruichi and Soi Fon.

"Well," one of the men began, his voice dripping with lechery. "What do you we have here? A couple of pretty girls in desperate need of a man? I think we can help them with that, right?" His partner smiled."Now ladies," the first man said, calling is attention back to the women. "I need you two to spread your arms so we can check for weapons."

"That's not all you're going to check for," Kyouraku muttered, his hands tensing into fists.

"You got something to say faggot?" one of the officers asked. He glanced down at the bar owner's fists. "And if you even think about moving one of those hands I'll have you written up for assault against a police officer."

Yoruichi stood to obey the policemen. There weren't many times in her life where she had been afraid but this was one of them. She grasped Soi Fon's arm and pulled her up with her. The officers began to pat them down. Yoruichi felt one of the men grab at her breast. She tensed up but didn't react. She could have put up a fight but after the threat the officer made to Kyouraku she wasn't going to take any chances.

The sound of vehicles pulling up could be heard through the shattered front window. The two officers feeling up Yoruichi and Soi Fon abandoned them and went behind the bar. They began to hand off case after case of liquor to the people who had come out of the patrol wagon. "Now why are you taking that?" Kyouraku shouted.

"You're liquor license has expired," one of the policemen said matter of factly. At this Kyouraku exploded with anger.

"That's why you barged in here and started harassing these people? That couldn't be a worse excuse. I know for a fact that your just using that as an excuse to come into here and-"

"That'll be enough," Iba said, taking a pair of handcuffs from his belt. "You have the right to remain silent," he said as he put the heavy metal on Kyouraku's wrists. "Anything you say or do can be used against you in a court of law. Now," Iba said, looking at the bartender. "Are there any other employees working on the premises tonight?"

"I thought you said I had to be silent," Kyouraku said smartly. He should have seen the vicious slap coming.

"Shut up," Iba growled. "Now answer the question. Is anyone else working here tonight?"

"No just me."

Suddenly a voice from upstairs called out. "Dear, is everything alright?" The door at the top of the steps slowly creaked open. A woman walked onto the wooden stairs. She was dressed in a light blue nightgown with her hair down. A pair of glasses rested on her delicate nose.

"Nanao," Kyouraku breathed. There was a moment of unbearable silence before he yelled to his wife. "Go back upstairs," he commanded. But it was too late. Komamura had already sent men to apprehend the woman. As they led her downstairs Nanao looked around at the chaos downstairs.

"What's happening?" she asked breathlessly. But her husband was already being led out the door into one of the waiting patrol wagons.

"Kyouraku!" Yoruichi yelled. She tried to grab for the man, trying to help him. Two officers appeared from the crowd to hold her back.

"Arrest this woman!" Komamura demanded. "It'll keep her from interfering with police business." An officer quickly handcuffed Yoruichi.

Before this moment Soi Fon had been terrified into silence. But now she was past that point. People that she knew, that she cared about were being taken away from her. "Yoruichi!" she shrieked. Her lover looked back at her as they escorted her out. She mouthed 'I love you' to a stunned Soi Fon.

Yumichika saw an opportunity to break free from his group and grabbed Ikkaku. Both men ran over to comfort the staggered woman. Yumichika enveloped her in a large hug. "Come on," he muttered. "We'll go outside. If we stay in here they're going to start arresting us too." Soi Fon nodded.

The group ran outside as they watched various people being put in the wagons along with the seized alcohol. Yoruichi was one of the last people in the line. Seeing Soi Fon she saw this as her chance. She kicked a nearby officer in the leg, hard. As the man went down four officers approached to apprehend her. As they struggled to apprehend her, Yoruichi opened her mouth and shrieked at the crowd. "Why don't you do something?" she pleaded. Seeing this as an opportunity, an officer grabbed her and tossed her into the wagon then promptly closed the door behind her.

Before Soi Fon's very eyes the simple crowd turned into a mob. People rushed the nearest wagon and attempted to turn it over. Others left the crowd and started to slash tires. Realizing what was happening, the drivers of said vehicles sped away leaving stunned vandals in their wake.

From behind her came a voice. "The cops are only here because we didn't pay them off!" A roar of fury could be heard throughout the large crowd. The mob had grown in size in the last few minutes due to bystanders joining.

"Let's pay them off then!" Another voice yelled. Shouts of agreement rippled throughout. People reached into their pockets and grabbed fistfuls of change and began to throw the money at the remaining police officers. The change quickly turned into beer cans found on the street. Many police members tried to retaliate. Out of the corner of her eye Soi Fon saw something else being thrown. It was a brick. She remembered seeing a nearby construction site on their walk here.

"Get inside," Komamura roared. Himself, Iba, and eight police officers ran back inside the Stonewall Inn. The front doors slammed shut. Through the broken window Soi Fon saw the officers barricading the doors. She observed them curiously until a large table was placed in front of the window.

"We should make them get out!" Ikkaku yelled angrily. Garbage cans, garbage, bottles, rocks, and bricks were hurled at the building, breaking the remaining windows. After all the windows were broken, the mob began focusing their attention on the barricaded window. The combined force eventually broke the table protecting the former window, exposing the ten officers.

"Draw your weapons," Komamura ordered his men. The policemen unholstered their pistols and pointed them at the angry crowd. "If any of you move, I swear to God we'll open fire."

Behind the crowd came the roar of sirens. Police car after police car came and pulled up in the street in front of the bar. Soi Fon looked at the sides of the cars. They were labeled Tactical Police Force. "Hell no," Ikkaku observed. "It looks like they brought in the big guns."

Heavily armed officers exited the patrol cars. The crowd parted to let them through. The TPF went through the former window and escorted the original officers out. They all went into the patrol cars and left the scene.

The streets became dark. "What time is it?" Soi Fon asked Yumichika. He glanced down at his watch.

"It's four in the morning." Soi Fon looked around at her surroundings. The streets had nearly been cleared. Many people sat on stoops or gathered nearby in Christopher in disbelief at what had transpired. Almost everything in the Stonewall Inn was broken.

Soi Fon turned to the men. "I need to go to the police station and get Yoruichi."

Ikkaku shook his head. "They won't have everyone processed until later in the morning. You'll be waiting there a long time."

"Come home with us," Yumichika insisted. "We all need to rest after tonight. You can go get Yoruichi later." As much as it killed Soi Fon to admit, he was right. But as they left the scene she couldn't get the fact that her lover would be all alone in jail charged with the crime of loving another person.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks to SoldierG6543-2 for beta-reading. And thank you to all my readers who constantly remind me why I enjoy writing so much.

A quick note about Soi Fon's name. According to the latest character profile it is written Sui-Feng. I will be using this spelling from now on.

**Chapter 4**

The back of the police wagon soon became full with people. Yoruichi did a quick head count. Inside the vehicle were 13 people; herself, Kyouraku, Nanao, and 10 others. Despite the cramped situation, no one spoke up. It was simply too tense of a situation for words. People dealt with the circumstances in different ways. Some simply kept to themselves while others wept. Kyouraku and Nanao had managed to find a place next to one and other and embraced to comfort each other. As Yoruichi watched the married couple she realized for the first time how alone she truly felt. This was really the first time that she had been separated from Sui-Feng in the year that they had been dating. Tears filled her eyes but Yoruichi did nothing to wipe them away.

The police wagon came to a jolting stop. Many inside the vehicle lost their balance and fell over. Yoruichi had been leaning forward a moment before the stop and was slammed back into the wall. Instinctively she reached up to feel the emerging bump on the back of her head. She winced at the painful feeling it produced.

Blinding light streamed into the darkness as the heavy doors at the back of the vehicle were opened. Everyone groaned as the light hit their sensitive eyes which had only just adjusted to the dark. "Come on, let's get a move on," said a voice outside of the police wagon.

Yoruichi made sure to duck her throbbing head as she shuffled out of the vehicle with the other arrestees. When she got out of the transport, she saw that they were parked in a well lit garage. Various other police wagons were parked beside them. Turning her attention to the people in the room Yoruichi saw two guards facing them. The first would be ordinary looking except for the tattoos that covered his face. There was another man standing next to him. This man was lanky with drooping eyelids and blond hair on the longer side. If not for the guns holstered at their side, the men looked like no considerable threat.

But those guns. Yoruichi felt her eyes resting on them. The idea of escape had briefly crossed her mind during the trip over to the police station where they now stood. When they first began to date Sui-Feng took Yoruichi with her to the dojo the Chinese woman had attended since her childhood. Yoruichi began to pick up on martial arts quickly. In the less than a year she had become proficient enough to spar with her girlfriend and actually stand a chance. Those skills had given her confidence that maybe she stood a chance of getting out of the police station. But the guns dashed all her hopes.

The tattooed guard spoke up."Due to the fact that we're at capacity in the connected prison we're going to keep you in the general holding cell in the police station. Come with me." The group of arrestees began to protest. Among the shouting Kyouraku and Nanao found their way over to Yoruichi. Kyouraku put a comforting hand on both of the women's shoulders.

"What can they charge us for?" a man in the crowd demanded. Shouts of agreement rippled throughout the group.

"We did nothing wrong!" Another yelled. Both guards glanced at each other and sighed. The blond spoke up.

"I don't want any of you repeating this," he said in a half-whisper. "But they have nothing to charge you on. The bar was raided without reason. At latest you'll be let out by this afternoon." Cheers spread across the group. A smile appeared on both of the guards faces.

The 13 people began to follow the guards. The tattooed guard happened to glance back and quickly tapped the blond guard on the shoulder. "Izuru," he said. "We have two women here. You want to take them to the other holding room?"

"Wait," Nanao cried. "Why do you have to separate us?" she asked, grasping her husband's hand.

"It's our policy," Izuru said apologetically. "Due to past incidents we've had to separate the women from the men. We're sorry to separate you two though, right Hisagi?"

Hisagi nodded. "Besides, there should only be one other woman in the holding cell. And if you ignore her, she won't bother you."

"I'll take you to there," Izuru said with smile, motioning the women to come with him. They began to follow the guard. The small group went in the opposite direction as the men through a pair of doors. "These lead to the women's prison," Izuru explained. The doors opened to reveal a small colorless room. It was perfectly square with three doors on the wall directly across from them. In the center of the space was a desk belonging to a very large man in uniform. He had a receding hairline of thinning black hair and big features. Probably against police regulation he wore flashy gold jewelry around his neck, wrists, and on his fingers. He looked up when the group entered.

"Well Lieutenant Izuru," he began. "Who do we have here?"

"Two women from the raid at the Stonewall Inn, Omaeda," Izuru answered. He waited a moment for Omaeda to answer but clearly the man had other things on his mind. Yoruichi followed his line of vision before realizing he was staring at her chest. She had forgotten about the low cut top she had changed into for the night. She quickly crossed her arms over her body. The man looked up disappointedly before turning to Izuru.

"Standard procedure?"

Izuru nodded and directly addressed Yoruichi and Nanao. "We have telephones available for you both to phone someone to pick you up. I assume you both have someone to call."

They nodded. "Good," Izuru said. "The telephone is over there," he stated, pointing to one an old rotary model on the wall. "When you're done with your calls Omaeda will escort you to the holding room."

Yoruichi reached to phone first. She picked up the phone and began to dial Yumichika's number. As it rung she sighed. Hopefully her friend had brought Sui-Feng to his house. There was no one else she wanted to talk to right now more than her girlfriend.

After ringing for a few moments someone picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey honey," Yoruichi said, a smile crossing her face despite her circumstances. "I'm down at the station. Do you think you can get me?"

"Of course," Sui-Feng replied. Worry began to creep into her voice. "You're okay, right? They didn't hurt you or anything, did they?"

"No," Yoruichi answered, trying to quell her lover's fears. "I'm fine. In fact the guards are quite nice to me." There was a pause on the other end. "I have to get off the phone now," she said, reading Nanao's facial expression of impatience and worry behind her. "I love you."

"I love you too. I'll borrow Yumichika's car and get down there as fast as possible."

"Bye"

"Bye"

Yoruichi hung up the telephone and waited for Nanao to conduct her phone conversation. It was much faster than hers. They both waited for Omaeda to realize that they were done but he was busy with her hands in a bag of chips. Yoruichi cleared her throat. He jumped.

"I'll take you two back to the holding cell now," he said, brushing the crumbs off of his uniform. He slid open the top drawer on the desk and fished around until he came up with a ring of keys. Omaeda shut the drawer and stood up before leading them to the middle door. Turning the key in the lock, he opened the heavy door and held it open for the women.

Yoruichi entered the concrete cell. She glanced about the room, if could even be called that. It was small and windowless. The space was devoid of furnishings except for two benches against one of the walls. Sitting on a bench was a tall woman. She had messy black hair that was partly covered by a loosely tied bandage. It appeared to be for decoration rather than covering a head wound. The woman had a pretty face with delicate features that were marred by the eyeliner she had applied so thickly it appeared her eyes were bruised. She was dressed in an extremely low cut red and white tank top paired with a short white skirt.

As the doors closed behind Nanao the woman looked up. A devilish grin spread across her face. "Hey Omaeda," she said. "Who are the chicks?" she asked, pointing to Yoruichi and Nanao.

"They're your new cellmates."

The woman threw her head back and moaned. "Cellmates? I've had this place to myself for three days and you give me cellmates?"

"We have no other place to put them. The women's jail is completely full!" Omaeda protested. Yoruichi could see his resolve slipping.

Another sigh came from the woman on the bench. "Fine," she huffed, glaring angrily at the two women she considered intruders. "They can stay."

"Thank you," Omaeda said, wiping his brow. He exited the cell, locking the door behind him. Yoruichi and Nanao sat on the bench opposite from the woman.

The second he was gone, the woman leaned forward and fished out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from under the seat. Yoruichi glanced over and did a double take. The woman had no right arm.

As she fiddled with her lighter, she noticed Yoruichi staring at her stump. "Take a picture," the woman growled. "It'll last longer."

Yoruichi shook her head apologetically. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I didn't mean to stare."

"Course you did," the woman said, finally managing to get her cigarette lit. She threw the lighter underneath the bench, a sickening crack sounding as the hard plastic hit the concrete. She looked back up at the caramel-skinned woman. "Everyone means to stare. I mean, it's not every day you see someone like me missing an arm. Or maybe ya do. I dunno what your life is like."

"How did it happen?" Yoruichi asked, as politely as she could.

She looked down at her stump. It was covered by bandages. "It happened a while back. Car accident. It's all healed up but people tend to stare if I don't keep it bandaged up. Well, more than they already do that is." There was a pause. "I just realized I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Kuukaku."

"I'm Yoruichi. And this is Nanao."

"Yoruichi?" Kuukaku studied the woman in question quizzically. "That's a Japanese name. But you sure as hell don't look Japanese."

"My mother's Japanese. I'm half."

"I see," Kuukaku flicked her cigarette butt onto the floor and crushed it with her bare foot. "You two look too nice to land yourself in the slammer. What the hell did you do?"

Yoruichi sighed. "We were in a bar owned by Nanao's husband. And it got raided."

"Why?" Kuukaku asked. "The only thing I can think of getting raided nowadays is those gay bars." She laughed off her own comment as the other women exchanged glances. "You wouldn't be in one of those though."

An awkward silence followed. "You were?" she asked. A great bellowing laugh followed. "Oh this is too rich," Kuukaku guffawed. "I'm sharing a cell with a couple of dykes."

Nanao sighed. "Yoruichi was just talking about my husband. Why did you include me in that?"

"Fine then. One dyke," Kuukaku said, correcting herself. "Or maybe you have an excuse for being there?" she asked, her question directed at Yoruichi.

Yoruichi leaned against the wall. "Yeah," she sighed. "I'm gay. I was with some friends and my girlfriend."

"A girlfriend?" Another bellowing laugh from the woman. "What's her name?"

Yoruichi glared. She was very sick of answering these questions just to amuse Kuukaku. "Her name is Sui-Feng."

Hysterical laughter. "So we've got a hafu and a chink. Isn't that nice? Though," she stopped to guffaw. "I knew a Chinese dyke once. She told me that her entire race was killer in bed. I've never done a woman before but I'm sure you'd be willing to give me some pointers on how to screw your girlfriend. Right?" Before Kuukaku could let loose another trademark grin, she was slammed up against the wall by a furious Yoruichi. "What?" she asked teasingly. "Did I touch a nerve?"

Yoruichi fumed. "I never want hear you talk like that about her. Ever again. Or I swear to god I will…I will…"

"You'll what?"

With a fast motion Yoruichi flipped the woman over her shoulder and onto the wooden bench. Kuukaku cried out in pain. "I'll do that," Yoruichi stated before sitting back down on her bench

"Jesus Christ! You've got some strength there." Kuukaku said, sitting up and rubbing her back. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry!"

"You better be," Yoruichi said. "Is that you got in here? Mouthing off?"

Kuukaku smiled weakly. "That's part of it. Originally I got into a fight with my boyfriend. Apparently the big lump didn't like it when I allowed his little girl to dye her hair pink." She scoffed. "I mean, come on! She's eight years old. I think she's old enough to make her own decisions. So anyways Zaraki, that's my boyfriend, and me get into a huge fight and the neighbors called the cops. Then I said some things about the officer's mothers or something and then I ended up here."

"That's a hell of a story," Yoruichi commented, not really knowing what else to say.

"Isn't it?" Kuukaku agreed. "You see this other time I-"

Her new speech was interrupted by the unlocking sound of the cell door. Omaeda stuck his head inside. "Yoruichi Shihonin?" he called.

Yoruichi stood. "That's me," she said, raising her hand.

"Someone is here to release you. Come with me." He held the door open for her. Yoruichi gave a small smile and wave to Nanao and exited the door. She could hear Kuukaku protesting her lack of farewell in the cell.

As Omaeda locked the door, Yoruichi glanced around the room. Sui-Feng was at the desk in the center filling out paperwork. She looked up at the sound of the closing door. A huge smile spread across her face. She abandoned the forms and ran across the room into Yoruichi's arms, burying her head in the woman's shoulder. Yoruichi kissed the top of her head and grabbed the Chinese woman's hands. "Come on," she urged gently. "We can celebrate at home. But the faster you fill out those forms, the faster we can get out of here."

Sui-Feng nodded. She led Yoruichi by the hand over to the desk where she quickly filled out the remainder of the form. She handed it to Omaeda who glanced over it at lightning speed. He frowned and turned the paper to show the two women. "You didn't put a check in any of the boxes," the officer said frowning.

"That's because our relationship wasn't listed." Sui-Feng stated matter-of-factly.

"I see," Omaeda said, his frown growing deeper. "What is your relationship then?"

"I'm her girlfriend."

There was a moment of awkward silence before Omaeda spoke up. "Alright," he said. "I'll make a note of that. You two are free to go." As they were leaving, Sui-Feng glanced back to the form. Under Relationships the officer had checked "Friend". She moved to protest but Yoruichi continued to drag her out of the two doors.

When they got out the room into the parking lot Sui-Feng crossed her arms angrily. "Why didn't you let me say something?"

"Because it wouldn't have made a difference Sui-Feng," Yoruichi said. "To people like him, people like us don't exist. And nothing you could have said would have changed his mind." She leaned in to kiss her girlfriend. Their lips met and parted. They kissed deeply for a moment before Yoruichi broke the kiss. "Let's go back to the apartment and celebrate."

"What about Yumichika's car?"

"We can get that back to him tomorrow. Today we have more important things to do."

"Like celebrate?"

"Exactly."

And celebrate they did.


	5. Chapter 5

The paper in this chapter is historically inaccurate. There was an article the next day on the Stonewall riots but it did not go into as much detail as it does in the story. Thanks to SoldierG65432-2 for beta reading.

**Chapter 5**

Yoruichi Shihonin awoke early this morning, glancing to her right at the alarm clock next to her bed. Its hands pointed to six o'clock, far earlier than she usually woke. She rolled over to her left and was greeted by the face of her girlfriend. A smile spread across the dark-skinned woman's face and she couldn't resist reaching out a hand to stroke Sui-Feng's cheek. The sleeping woman stirred at the touch and Yoruichi's smile grew slightly.

The moment was perfect; with the two lover's entwined in the much need quiet that surrounded them. She inched her way closer to her sleeping woman and sighed. All that she could hope now is that word would get out about what had happened last night; the brutality the police had committed towards them - the gay community. Yoruichi knew that once the world found out about the events at the Stonewall Inn, there would be no more injustice. The sound of a phone ringing pierced the tranquility of the morning and Yoruichi's thoughts.

Gently untangling her legs from Sui-Feng's, Yoruichi crawled out of bed. As she grabbed the phone she realized that her clothing from last night was scattered on the floor, leaving her body bare. A giggle escaped from her lips as she lifted the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Yoruichi," Yumichika said hurriedly. "Oh, thank god you're awake." He sounded like he was on the verge of tears.

"Yumichika, what happened? Is everything okay? Are you okay?" Yoruichi asked while pulling on the pair of discarded pants.

"I'm fine." A pause. "No, not really. You need to find a paper."

"A newspaper? But which one?"

"Any newspaper!" Yoruichi could hear her friend trying to hold back tears. "It's in every major newspaper in New York City."

"What is it? Can't you just tell me?"

A stifled sob came from the other end of the line. "You'll find out. I'm not one to be blunt Yoruichi but you can consider your life over." She tried to speak, to object on a topic she knew nothing about but Yumichika continued to speak. "I think it's best if we don't contact each other for a while. What's left of our reputations may depend on it."

"Yumichika!" Yoruichi cried into the phone. But it was no use. The line had already gone dead. She quickly fished a dirty shirt off of the floor and slid it over her head. By now Sui-Feng was awake.

"What is it?" She asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Yoruichi sighed and started to search through a pile of her clothing for a pair of shoes. "I don't know. Yumichika called saying that I needed to look at a newspaper. Then he said something about not being able to talk to me for a while and he hung up." She grabbed a pair of flats that had been hiding under a wrinkled dress and slipped them on her feet.

"Where are you going?" Sui-Feng asked as she hugged the covers close to her body.

"Across the hall."

"Mr. Kurotsuchi? Are you crazy?" Sui-Feng jumped from the bed and began to put on her previous night's clothes.

"He's the only one on the floor home at this time. Besides, maybe we'll get lucky and his fake bride will answer the door. You're coming with me?"

Sui-Feng gave a pained smile. "I'm not about to let you go there by yourself." Yoruichi grinned back and leaned in to give Sui-Feng a quick peck on the lips.

The couple made their way out their apartment door. Yoruichi shut it quietly behind them. It only took a few steps to reach the door of their neighbor Mayuri Kurotsuchi. He rarely exited his apartment and when he did he wore eccentric black and white makeup paired with an assortment of strange hats. There was a young woman who lived with him. Gossip from around the apartment had said that she was his daughter. How such a strange human being like Kurotsuchi had managed to produce a daughter was a mystery. Yoruichi had only met the woman once, in the laundry room in the basement. The woman had introduced herself in a robotic manner as Nemu Kurotsuchi and then gone back to her wash. Frankly, she scared the hell out of Yoruichi.

Sui-Feng knocked twice on the wooden door in front of them. There was muttering from far inside the apartment. There was the sound of someone fumbling with the chain lock on the inside door frame. A clicking noise sounded as the door swung open. In the entryway stood a tall man. He had carefully applied white and black makeup covering his face and hands. His dark hair was so black it appeared blue in the morning light. It was carefully arranged and hit right at his full nose. The man smiled a wide, patronizing grin that showed his impossibly straight teeth.

"So it's you two," he said. His voice was like nails on a chalkboard. "What could possibly be so important that you had to wake me up at this time in the morning, hmm?"

The two women looked at each other. "A paper," Yoruichi said firmly. "It's very important that we borrow a paper from you."

"A paper?" Kurotsuchi looked at them quizzically. Without warning he threw his head back and cackled. The sound made Yoruichi's blood curdle. He lowered his head and glared at both of them. "Now here I thought you were coming to my door for something important. But a paper? My my," he shook his head. "How strange youth are today."

Sui-Feng spoke up. "It's really important. Do you have a paper or not?"

Mayuri grinned again. "Of course I do. I had Nemu come get it earlier this morning." The smile grew wider. "Won't you come in and get it?"

Sui-Feng began to step forward but Yoruichi held her back. "Can't you just get it for us?" she asked pleadingly.

"Well if you wish to be rude," the made-up man responded. "But where I come from its proper etiquette to oblige when a person invites you into their house. And if that paper really is as important as you say…"

"Fine," Yoruichi snapped. "We'll go in with you."

"Excellent," Kurotsuchi purred. "Right this way." He held the door open for the women as they walked inside. His apartment had the same layout as theirs but was much more sparsely furnished. Aside for a couch and a table with a chair there was no other furniture in the unpainted space. "Take a seat," the neighbor said. "I'll have it for you in a minute." He left the two and entered through an arch doorway to the kitchen.

Yoruichi sat down, guiding Sui-Feng to sit down next to her. The couch that they sat on was black and white, the same color as Mayuri's makeup. She was beginning to see a theme here. Suddenly, shouting came from the kitchen. "Where did you put the damn newspaper?"

"It's on the table, Mayuri-sama," a quiet, robotic voice answered.

"Don't talk back to me Nemu," he screeched. "I looked on the table and there isn't any newspaper there. Do you think I'm an idiot?"

"No Mayuri-sama."

"Then why do you insist on treating me like one?"

As he spoke these words, Yoruichi got up from the couch and angled herself so that she could see into the kitchen. Nemu was quietly washing dishes, taking every bit of abuse that Mayuri threw at her. What was the matter with her?

"Did you check under the mail?" Nemu asked.

With that Kurotsuchi grabbed the plate the girl was washing out of her hands and smashed it into the side of her head. Nemu dropped to the ground. She laid there for a few moments. Not making a sound at all. Not even crying.

"Tell me what to do in my own house," Mayuri muttered to himself. Yoruichi saw him rifling under the mail spread on the table. He reached under the mail and grabbed the newspaper. Stepping over Nemu on the ground he walked out into the living room.

"Here you are." He held the paper out to the women expectantly.

"Why the hell did you do that?" Yoruichi asked angrily.

"Do what?' Mayuri looked like he was genuinely confused.

"You know what I'm talking about. Why did you hit her?"

"Yoruichi," Sui-Feng whispered, standing up to lead the woman away. "Let's take the paper and go. This isn't any of our business."

"But it _is _our business," Yoruichi shouted, shrugging Sui-Feng's hand off of her shoulder. "He can't do that to her."

Mayuri's grin returned, this time wider than ever. "Yes I can. She's my daughter. And she disobeyed me. I can do anything I want to her."

"But it's not right," Yoruichi argued. "I should report you for domestic abuse."

"And say what?" Kurotsuchi replied. "That you and your _girlfriend_ saw me do it? You're a deviant. No one would believe you."

"Yoruichi," Sui-Feng pleaded again. "Let's go."

Yoruichi knew she was fighting a losing battle. But what this man was doing to his wife wasn't right. He wasn't even treating her like a person! She looked back at Sui-Feng's pleading face. She was obviously very scared.

"This won't be the last time you hear from me," Yoruichi said.

"Get out of my apartment." Mayuri growled. "Now."

They grudgingly left the apartment. As they walked out the door Yoruichi shouted back, "Nemu, if you ever need to talk to somebody just ca-" The door slammed in her face.

Sui-Feng opened their own apartment door and sighed. "I don't understand why you have to make everything your personal duty."

"But it isn't right!"

"I know it isn't. But you're not in a position to change it."

"I know that. Let's just look for whatever Yumichika was in a panic about."

They pulled out the main section of the newspaper and looked at every page. Nothing seemed that important. That is, until they reached the back page. In big letters the title announced "Homosexual Deviants Attack Police in Legal Bar Raid" Yoruichi grabbed the paper and hurriedly glanced over the article. Nothing they didn't know already. But then something at the bottom caught her eye. It was a list. A list of all the names of those arrested who were known gays. And at the end of the list, in bold, were two names she recognized.

Their names.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry about the delay for this chapter. Thanks to SoldierG65432-2 for beta-reading. Also, those who have read This Closet Isn't Big Enough for the Two of Us will notice some similarities.

**Chapter 6**

The phone rang.

And rang

And rang again

Yoruichi and Sui-Feng slowly lifted their eyes from the phone and stared at each other. Their expressions each begged the other to do something; to answer the phone for the response they knew was coming. Both of their families subscribed to local papers that were bound to carry the story on the Stonewall Inn incident, names and all. The phone rang once more before the cassette clicked into place and began to record.

A gruff cough came from the speaker. "Shaolin," said a male voice. "Pick up the phone." Though he spoke English, there was a distinct Chinese accent. "This isn't funny Shaolin," he continued. "Mama and Baba are worried sick about you ever since they saw the paper. Just pick up the phone. Just tell us it isn't true. That you're not a-"

His last words were cut off as Sui-Feng grabbed the phone and lifted it to her ear. "Zhong," she said flatly as she addressed her brother.

"Shaolin? Oh thank god!" Zhong cried, using an atypical American phrase. He was her oldest brother and the most steadfast. Her parent's friends frequently told her that she should find a good husband like Zhong. "Baba practically had a heart attack when Huang was reading him the paper to him this morning. They're so worried that you're associated yourself with people like those deviants they caught. But all you have to do is come down and explain everything. Then you can have breakfast with us and help open the restaurant." He chuckled quietly. "That reminds me, Mama wants to introduce you to the Lin boy down the street. He's a doctor, very well-paid and handsome too."

"Zhong, I have to tell you something!" Sui-Feng cried.

"You can tell me once you get down here. You haven't been back to Chinatown for months now. It's about time you visited anyway."

"But-"

A dial tone sounded in her ear. Defeated, Sui-Feng put the phone back on the cradle and sat down on the edge of the bed. She put her head between her knees and groaned. Yoruichi came and sat down beside her, placing her hands on top of the Chinese woman's shoulders.

"Shaolin, huh?" I take it that that was one of your brothers?"

"One of the famous six," Sui-Feng said with a nod, lifting her head up. "He said that my parents freaked out when they saw the paper this morning. They want me to come down to Chinatown and explain myself."

"You should go."

"What?" Sui-Feng couldn't believe her ears. "Do you understand how my traditional Chinese parents think?"

"Can't say I do," said Yoruichi. "I've never exactly met them."

Sui-Feng stretched her arms and lay back on the bed. "Let me summarize; Sons are key, daughters should immediately find good husbands to help them pop out more sons. Anything that distracts from this is frowned upon and cursed by the ancestors."

"Then challenge that!" Yoruichi exclaimed.

"What?"

"Force them to confront their beliefs head on. Like I've said before, we need to change how the world sees people like us. Coming out can change that."

"No Yoruichi. You don't get it. My parents have been fed these beliefs not just by their parents but by their entire culture."

"But you can change that. There are probably scores of gay kids living in traditional Chinese families just in your neighborhood. If you come out then the rest will follow suit. It only takes one to inspire the masses to revolutionize the world!"

Sui-Feng sighed. Yoruichi was in another one of her activist moods again. But maybe her girlfriend was right. Maybe her family would accept her. Maybe by coming out to the tightly-knit Chinese community she would inspire others to do the same. But this was her family. She had never even heard them mention homosexuality but she knew the reaction wouldn't be positive.

"I'm afraid. I don't know how they'll react. Or even if they'll want to see me again."

"Alright, the odds aren't exactly favorable, I'll give you that. But what are you going to do otherwise? Marry a nice Chinese boy from down the street and pop out some babies every year?"

Sui-Feng shook her head quickly. "I could never do that." She groaned. "I guess I should. And maybe I'm judging their potential reactions wrong. Maybe it won't be so bad," she said in a rare display of optimism.

Yoruichi gave a cry of delight. She enveloped Sui-Feng in her arms and gave her a quick kiss. "I think I'll go visit my parents too. I've had it up to here with them trying to introduce me to boys at their church."

"Your parents?" Sui-Feng looked worried. "But they're both devout Baptists!"

"Just my father. My mother just does anything my father wants her to do. And I figure I shouldn't have that much problem with it, you know, with love thy neighbor and all that jazz."

This resulted in a small smile blossoming on Sui-Feng's face. "I love you Yoruichi," she said while grabbing her jacket off a hook by the door.

"I love you too."

* * *

It was a relatively short subway ride from the East Village to Chinatown. But the short length of trip was long enough for Sui-Feng to begin doubting herself. Her stomach felt like there was a lead weight churning around in it. She had just begun to consider getting off at the next stop when the subway came to a halt. She glanced up at the display reading off the name of the station. Chinatown. Shit.

She mustered up all the courage she could face and put her hands in her pockets. Despite it being the blistering heat of July she refused to go anywhere without her favorite black coat. It was a men's coat and relatively thick but she loved it anyways.

The doors opened and Sui-Feng was the first to rush through the doors. She ignored the pressing feeling in her gut telling her to take a train back and hurried up the steps. Her feet soon hit the well worn sidewalk of the streets of Chinatown. She looked around. Home sweet home. The crowd was the usual mix of tourists and locals. Other than a couple of new coats of paint on some of the buildings it was exactly the same as the neighborhood of her childhood.

Sui-Feng pushed her hand farther into the well-worn pockets and located the side street where her parent's restaurant was located. She quickened her pace and slipped between the crowds.

She approached the building quickly. Its bright red color would stand out anywhere else in New York but fit in perfectly in Chinatown. The color was probably the reason that only the neighborhood locals came to her family's eatery. It was either that or the fact that the incredibly spicy Sichuan cuisine scared everyone else away.

But the building didn't look as red today. As she reached the front of the restaurant she saw two characters painted in big, white letters. The first was the common character nu, meaning woman. The second was tóng, meaning same. Despite her native fluency in the language and education she didn't recognize the word. Sui-Feng shook her head. Maybe her Chinese was a little rusty. After all, she hadn't been back here in months.

She gathered all her courage and opened the front door. The restaurant also looked the same. Same tables and chairs the color of the building. Same calligraphy her father had done is his spare time, before he had kids. And her same mother, looking worn down with age, scrubbing away at a stain on one of the tables.

At the sound of the bell on top of the door, her mother whipped around. "We're not open today," she said in Mandarin. "I'm very sorry. You'll have to com-"

"Mom," Sui-Feng interjected. "It's me." She was right about the worn with age idea. Her mother's vision had gotten even worse since the last time we saw her.

All traces of her mother's mildly friendly demeanor were wiped from her face. "Oh, Shaolin," she said. "Come into the back. We would like to speak with you." Her mother put the rag down on the table and gestured for Sui-Feng to follow her back. Their apartment occupied the area meant for storage behind the restaurant. To reach it, one needed to go back through a door located in the kitchen.

Sui-Feng gulped. Her mother opened the apartment door and held it open for her daughter. Sui-Feng grabbed the door and entered the small apartment then housed her family of nine for years.

It smelt like home; a mixture of Chinese peppers, cheap soap, and the incense sent by their relatives to America every year. It smelled like everything Sui-Feng had tried to get away from.

Her father and six brothers were seated around the large table that had served as the family's dinner table for years. They sat in the mishmash of old, collected chairs that were used as dining chairs. Her mother pulled one out for her daughter and they both sat down.

"So, Shaolin…" he father began.

"She's not going by that anymore, Baba," her youngest brother Bao said. "She still insists on Sui."

"Shaolin," her mother clucked. "Why would you insist on going by your grandmother's name? She was a wonderful woman but she was very traditional."

Sui-Feng slipped lower into her seat. "Because I respected her Mama. Plus no one can pronounce it Mama."

"It's because you're living with all those Japanese dogs, eh?" He threw up his hands in disgust. "How did I get stuck with a daughter like you, huh? First you leave our family, refuse to get married and live here in Chinatown. Then you start hanging out with those dirty Japs. And now our restaurant is defaced because of you!"

She felt like a teenager again, getting yelled at for staying out past her ridiculously early curfew. "What do the characters mean? I know it's pronounced nutóng but…" Her voice trailed off at the sight of her family's reddened faces. "Is it something bad?"

Her third brother Chen spoke up first. "It is. It's just an impolite word for…you know…"

"It means dyke," Bao interjected. The room came to a halt before her father spoke up angrily.

"And they did it because your name appeared in the paper with those deviants! Now everyone in Chinatown thinks that you're one of them. And if you would just come home and-"

Sui-Feng couldn't stand it any longer. "Baba"

He kept talking, rambling about how well behaved the neighbor's daughters are.

"Baba!"

Her father whipped his head around. "What Shaolin? What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I am one of them. The paper wasn't lying. I was there with my girlfri-"

Her last word was cut off by a sharp slap to her cheek. Sui-Feng instinctively grabbed her burning, red cheek. Her father took her by the wrist and twisted as hard as he could before throwing her against the close wall.

"No daughter of mine is going to be a homosexual!" He cried as he tried to kick her. Sui-Feng managed to crawl out of the way. Desperately she looked up to her mother and brothers for help. But they all were looking away, as if this spectacle was not occurring within their home, to their own daughter and sister.

Her father moved to slap her again. She put her trembling arm up to block the blow. Tears welled in her eyes as his surprisingly strong arm hit her forearm. He backed up; veins on his neck popped out, face bright red, and looked at her. "Here is what will happen. You will move back in with us. You will work in the restaurant every day and will not be allowed out. You will not be allowed to contact your…girlfriend. We will arrange a marriage for you and you will be married by the end of the month. We will never speak of this incident again. Do you understand?"

Sui-Feng glanced up at him. Give up her life? Her friends? Yoruichi? "No."

He was shocked. "You do understand what this means, Shaolin? We will write you out of the family history. We will cease contact with you as will the Chinese community. You will have no one."

She stood up, her body shaking. Though her father had hit her before as a child and as a teenager this was the angriest that she had ever seen him. There was no telling what he might do. Every instinct told her to run but her mind knew that if she ran she would never see her mother or brothers again. Her father would make sure of that.

Out of the corner of her eye Sui-Feng saw her father raise his arm to slap her again. That was it. Instinct took over and she ran out the apartment door and through the restaurant. As she slammed the front door she heard her father bellowing. That only served as more incentive to get out of there.

As she ran through the neighborhood, tears flowed down her face, obstructing her vision. That was it. She would never be able to come back here as her father would have spread this news around all the community by the end of the night. She would never see her family again.

Sui-Feng thoughts were jostled by the sound of crying. Familiar crying. She glanced around and saw a crying figure on the bench. The figure looked up and she caught a glimpse of golden eyes. Yoruichi.


End file.
